Introduction
The Journal of Management and Organization (JMO) is celebrating its 30th birthday and this means it is the ideal time to emphasize its growth and development. It is the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM) journal and is amongst the most prestigious management journals published. Its publisher Cambridge University Press is world renowned for its high quality publishing endeavours. Originally the journal published mostly articles by Australian and New Zealand authors but this changed with more internationalisation in article authorship. The journal was first called the Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management (abbreviated to JANZAM) and published by an independent publisher before moving to Cambridge University Press. From 2026 all articles in the journal will be published as open access that will further open up knowledge pathways.
The first issue of the journal published in 1995 contained 4 articles by Australian and New Zealand academics. The first article discussed human resource management in need of a discipline and other articles focused on contingency theory, working arrangements and organizational restricting. Also included in the first issue was two book reviews and a book notes section that demonstrates the importance of books to the management discipline.
The journal’s Editor in Chief is Vanessa Ratten who is an Australian with international experience working at an Australian university. The journal has a number of Associate Editors and a well regarded editorial advisory board. It is a quartile 1 Scopus ranked journal and is internationally recognised for its novel articles. The JMO upholds the core values of the ANZAM and adheres to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. JMO is committed to publishing high quality and forward thinking research that is peer reviewed. It focuses on management research that contributes to both theory and practice with an emphasis on Australian and New Zealand research but also including international research. The journal has increasingly focused on identifying new management and organization trends that has made it a fast mover in publishing novel topics. This has resulted in high citations of certain articles that focus on emerging areas of interest such as sustainability. The journal has been early to adopt specific topics particularly around COVID-19 and management topics as well as the shift to more niche areas of management such as psychological health and employee well-being. This change is based on the readership of the journal wanting to know newer global management disciplinary trends in terms of staying ahead of current scholarship.
This article takes the scholarly position that a commemorative reflection on the main topics published in the journal is required. This means the theoretical framing is based on the existing literature in terms of conducting a content analysis from research included in the journal. This approach is needed in order to develop a better understanding on the impact of the literature on the journal’s development and future path. Other journals have taken the same approach in terms of having a retrospective approach to the journal. This focus on the management discipline is similar to other journal’s on their birthday who want to take stock of what has occurred in order to progress to the future. This means the articles are established within the scholarly traditions of analysing existing research in terms of seeing the gaps and areas that need further redevelopment and extension.
A range of management topics are published in the journal and it recognises the need for methodological diversity in publishing practices. In celebration of the journal’s 30th birthday this article aims to consolidate existing research and inspire new research. To do this the following key management topics are reviewed with the aim of developing fresh ideas:
• Sustainability and environmental management
• Social, gender and diversity management
• Education, teaching and learning
• Technology management
• Human resource management
• Entrepreneurship and innovation
• International business
• Leadership
Each topic summarises the key articles and research published in the journal in terms of relevance. Articles were included based on how they have contributed to dialogue within the journal and fostered new thinking. The rationale for thematic categorization is due to the general topic of management being quite broad meaning it is important to identify sub-topics in order to provide better clarity. The chosen topics were based on the most published topic areas related to management and organizational studies in the journal.
Sustainability and environmental management
Sustainability and environmental management have long been key topics addressed by articles in the journal. The way these topics have been discussed has differed over time and includes looking at corporate social responsibility in family businesses (Brundin, Samuelsson & Melin, Reference Brundin, Samuelsson and Melin2014), export performance (Díez-Vial & Fernández-Olmos, Reference Díez-Vial and Fernández-Olmos2013), the construction and real estate sector (Cambra-Fierro, Wilson, Polo-Redondo, Fuster-Mur & Lopez-Perez, Reference Cambra-Fierro, Wilson, Polo-Redondo, Fuster-Mur and Lopez-Perez2013), gender (Huang & Hung, Reference Huang and Hung2013) and work life balance (Fujimoto & Azmat, Reference Fujimoto and Azmat2014). This range of contexts shows how the concepts of social responsibility changed over time with more emphasis on country contexts such as South Asia (Pio & Syed, Reference Pio and Syed2014) and links to other topics such as corporate governance (Clarke, Reference Clarke2014). About 10 years ago more emphasis on social responsibility and the United Nations goals emerged (Helms & Webb, Reference Helms and Webb2014). This is relevant now with many articles stating which United Nations sustainable development goals they are addressing in their article. The topic of sustainability has continued to grow with recent articles focusing on career sustainability (Schweitzer, Smith, Lyons, Henchey & Kostuchuk, Reference Schweitzer, Smith, Lyons, Henchey and Kostuchuk2025), artificial intelligence and technical sustainability (Hossain, Fernando & Akter, Reference Hossain, Fernando and Akter2025) and sustainable resilience in adaptive crisis management (Ajith, Lux, Bentley & Striepe, Reference Ajith, Lux, Bentley and Striepe2024).
Given the emphasis on reporting the United Nations Sustainable Development goals in research it is likely that more emphasis will be placed on sustainability in management research. Whether the 17 United Nations Sustainable development goals change is a matter of conjecture, but it is likely there will be some revision. Future research on sustainability needs to take a new approach regarding how to incorporate different kinds of measures that reflect alternative points of view such as employees, managers and stakeholders. At the moment environmental, social and governance implications are prioritized but this could change as current thinking regarding sustainability evolves. As a consequence, more research is needed on entrepreneurial and innovation perceptions of sustainability rather than regulatory and legal frameworks. More emphasis is needed on bridging sustainable management practices with more broader thinking in terms of community engagement. This means incorporating new topics that are under researched or not researched at all such as global warming and geopolitical factors that are evident in environmental practices. This can include artificial intelligence and artisan forms of sustainability that combine manual labour with technological innovation. New research that focuses both on the positives and negatives rather than just the beneficial outcomes would provide a holistic understanding of the topic.
Social, gender and diversity management
Social, gender and diversity management are popular article topics. Syed and Kramar (Reference Syed and Kramar2009) published one of the first articles on the topic by studying socially responsible diversity management. Articles emphasising social issues included those on social capital (Chang, Reference Chang2020; Nonino, Reference Nonino2013), social networks (Fernández-Pérez, Del Mar Fuentes-fuentes & Bojica, Reference Fernández-Pérez, Del Mar Fuentes-fuentes and Bojica2012) and social support (Annink, Reference Annink2017; Karatepe & Olugbade, Reference Karatepe and Olugbade2017). Gender is a popular topic in the journal and is often combined with other management topics. Gender research is considered an evolving area of interest with gender differences linked to diversity awareness (Härtel, Härtel & Trumble, Reference Härtel, Härtel and Trumble2013). McKeown and Petitta (Reference McKeown and Petitta2014) discussed how gender plays a key role in management studies in context. This is due to gender often being a demographic variable in management studies (Ashforth & Kreiner, Reference Ashforth and Kreiner2014; Bouckenooghe, Raja & Abbas, Reference Bouckenooghe, Raja and Abbas2014; Chun, Choi & Moon, Reference Chun, Choi and Moon2014). Gender is linked to other topics such as team effectiveness (Lohuis, Van Vuuren & Bohlmeijer, Reference Lohuis, Van Vuuren and Bohlmeijer2013). Diversity, equity and inclusion articles are often published in the journal. Carden (Reference Carden2023) discussed how diversity is defined and Hartel and Fujimoto (Härtel & Fujimoto, Reference Härtel and Fujimoto2000) debated the role of diversity in organisations.
Social issues regarding management have emphasised the need for gender and diversity issues. Linked to this is politics regarding business practices that is evident with changing political practices regarding diversity initiatives in the workforce. The United States has altered its stance regarding whether diversity issues should be encouraged in business management and it is likely that geopolitics will play an increasing role in future management research. Research that transcends political barriers by taking a bipartisan approach should be encouraged. Alternatively different theories could be used in conjunction with established research practices. Ethics is part of this discussion and geopolitics should be researched in more depth. This will enable political management to be at the forefront of new research whereas in the past it was assumed as part of the contextual background. It would be good to further open up debate about the positive and negatives regarding diversity management so a more balanced analysis is made. As certain researchers from specific geographical contexts might have religious or historical views it is important to note how the past can shape the present management research agenda.
Education, teaching and learning
Education, teaching and learning are key themes of the journal. Recently articles published in the journal focused on Indigenising the business curriculum (McPhail, Bodle, Harris & Daly, Reference McPhail, Bodle, Harris and Daly2025). Management development and education have been analysed through MBA graduate education (Zhao, Reference Zhao1997), employee wellbeing in higher education (Beltrán-Martín, Roca-Puig, Escrig-Tena & Bou-Llusar, Reference Beltrán-Martín, Roca-Puig, Escrig-Tena and Bou-Llusar2008) and pedagogical learning (Kerr & Lloyd, Reference Kerr and Lloyd2008). Niche areas of management education include ethics (Benn & Rusinko, Reference Benn and Rusinko2011) and sustainability (Moon & Orlitzky, Reference Moon and Orlitzky2011). Other studies have investigated novel topics like take home tests (Hall, Reference Hall2001), job-related education (Kowtha, Reference Kowtha2011), and undergraduate management education (Jackson, Reference Jackson2009). Ways to enhance management learning have been analysed through group work (Hunter, Vickery & Smyth, Reference Hunter, Vickery and Smyth2010) and nonlinear thinking (Costigan & Brink, Reference Costigan and Brink2015).
Management scholars should employ innovative methodological designs to management education research (Ratten, Reference Ratten2023). Due to the increase in online and virtual teaching new methods could make use of artificial intelligence that combine real time information collection with survey data. To advance management education research expert opinions from a range of perspectives including both teacher and student should be collected. This would enable research to look at data in different ways in order to understand different points of view. Looking ahead, the next wave of research should aim to highlight the importance of management education. This will ensure its relevance is acknowledged in the current business context. As more promotion and tenure decisions require scholarship of teaching it is important that the journal also publishes articles in this area. Researchers could link this in with the United Nations sustainable development goals that are embedded in management education and highlight the industry relevance.
Technology management
Technology management is a popular topic of interest for readers of the journal who want to know best practice suggestions and general information about emerging trends. The digital transformation of business has resulted in the use of robots for a variety of tasks (Brougham & Haar, Reference Brougham and Haar2018; Xu & Wang, Reference Xu and Wang2021). This has resulted in modern management changes as a result of computational systems (Zhou, Xia & Dai, Reference Zhou, Xia and Dai2023). Increasingly information communications such as deep learning is resulting in a shift towards a smart manufacturing environment. This has consequences for person-environment fit and employee engagement due to a lack of stability regarding organizational strategy (Keane, Kwon & Kim, Reference Keane, Kwon and Kim2024). Cloud-based information systems that result in higher levels of automation are changing consumer expectations (Pereira et al., Reference Pereira, Correia, Braga, Alves, Ratten and Braga2025). This means the use of data warehouses to facilitate the internet of things. Furthermore, more employee management systems are now based on cloud computing initiatives (Ardebili et al., Reference Ardebili, Latifian, Aziz, BinSaeed, Alizadeh and Kostyrin2023).
It is expected technology management research should be proactive about business change particularly regarding inequality issues (Ratten, Reference Ratten2025). This means developing new approaches to how to identify technology trends that go beyond existing practices. Disruptive technologies can have a radical effect on business, so it is good to be proactive (Ratten & Braga, Reference Ratten and Braga2024). To do this management researchers need to shape technology policy by pointing out areas of interest. This could include controversial research topics regarding issues such as space exploration that are current under explored in management scholarship. This will hopefully mean publishing research about new technology before it becomes commonplace in the market. Previously there has tended to be a lag between new technology in business settings and published research on the topic. If management research is to stay relevant it needs to be more proactive about emerging technologies. New research should try to engage proactively with new technology so that managers can read information about it before trying to embed it in business practices. To do this, future research could have projections about likely usefulness of technology innovation and propose further suggestions about what is needed in the management area.
Human resource management
Human resource management is one of the most commonly studied areas of business management with many students becoming human resource practitioners. There is a long history of human resource management scholarship in JMO that pushes research into new areas of interest. This includes balancing the positives and negatives of human resource management in terms of empowerment (Ollo-López & Nuñez, Reference Ollo-López and Nuñez2024) and assessing sustained competitive advantage (Chapman, Sisk, Schatten & Miles, Reference Chapman, Sisk, Schatten and Miles2018). There is a growing need to link human resource management to organisational values (Cavanagh, Fisher, Francis & Gapp, Reference Cavanagh, Fisher, Francis and Gapp2012) and company strategy (Navío-Marco, Solórzano-García & Palencia-González, Reference Navío-Marco, Solórzano-García and Palencia-González2019). This can involve focusing on the link between human resource management and innovation (Chowhan, Pries & Mann, Reference Chowhan, Pries and Mann2017) and sustainability (Jawaad, Hasan, Amir & Imam, Reference Jawaad, Hasan, Amir and Imam2024). Different levels of human resource management have been examined as the role of top managers in development efforts (Lee, Park & Baker, Reference Lee, Park and Baker2018) as well as the issue of team psychological safety.
Future research on human resource management is likely to emphasise how artificial intelligence is changing management practice. Working from home and the effects of work/life balance are expected to be areas of concern. The role of team cohesion and the effectiveness of human resource management policies is another area of inquiry. This means the integration of human resource management principles to remote, digital and in-person environments will be researched more.
More work is required on the link between employee well-being, productivity and organizational commitment. Due to recent societal changes around post-pandemic work arrangements and AI-driven environments there is increasing amounts of innovation in work conditions. This means a more deeper exploration about happiness in the workplace that incorporates ethical and human centered management practices is required.
Entrepreneurship and innovation
Entrepreneurship and innovation as a topic in business management encompasses a number of different areas that combine various units of analysis. The field has rapidly grown over the past thirty years with an increase in the number of submissions to the journal. JMO has published a lot of entrepreneurship research that contributes to management practice. Initially entrepreneurship studies were based on small and medium sized enterprises in Australia (Wiesner & Millett, Reference Wiesner and Millett2012). This changed with studies on new venture development (Trevelyan, Reference Trevelyan2011), university-industry government linkages (Hu & Mathews, Reference Hu and Mathews2009) and entrepreneurial work-family balance (Kirkwood & Tootell, Reference Kirkwood and Tootell2008). A number of studies have focused on entrepreneurial orientation (Bojica, Del Mar Fuentes & Gómez-Gras, Reference Bojica, Del Mar Fuentes and Gómez-Gras2011; Şahin & Gürbüz, Reference Şahin and Gürbüz2020) and resource-based social capital (Bratkovic, Antoncic & Ruzzier, Reference Bratkovic, Antoncic and Ruzzier2009). Innovation studies are linked to entrepreneurship with articles published on Indigenous social innovation (Henry, Newth & Spiller, Reference Henry, Newth and Spiller2017), Indigenous entrepreneurship (Mika, Warren, Foley & Palmer, Reference Mika, Warren, Foley and Palmer2017; Rout, Reid, Te Aika, Davis & Tau, Reference Rout, Reid, Te Aika, Davis and Tau2017; Scheyvens, Banks, Meo-Sewabu & Decena, Reference Scheyvens, Banks, Meo-Sewabu and Decena2017) and Maori entrepreneurship (Warren, Mika & Palmer, Reference Warren, Mika and Palmer2017).
Future research on entrepreneurship and innovation should prioritize new types of business endeavours particularly those that use advanced technologies or integrate different members of society. Combining older theories with emerging innovations is essential in business management due to the impact of societal events such as climate change and political turmoil. Significant areas of inquiry involve offering theory development combined with management inquiry. These theories can involve managerial ideas that optimize business change whilst simultaneously fast forwarding research implications. A range of entrepreneurial perspectives including micro, small and large enterprises is required to drive contextual understandings.
International business
International business and its various related topics have been important to the growth of JMO. Initially in the 1990’s and 2000’s the topic of internationalisation grew strongly with the European Union expanding and introducing the Euro currency. This led to interest in international channel intermediaries (Karunaratna & Johnson, Reference Karunaratna and Johnson2000) and the role of international diversification (Mangos, OBrien & Damania, Reference Mangos, OBrien and Damania2002). In the early 2000’s there were articles published on international airlines (Bowden, Reference Bowden2003) and international exchanges (Saleh & Ali, Reference Saleh and Ali2009). International business has been examined through a range of perspectives including family firms (Du, Zeng & Chang, Reference Du, Zeng and Chang2018), alliance structure (Salvoldi & Brock, Reference Salvoldi and Brock2023) and emerging market multinationals (Deng, Liu, Gallagher & Wu, Reference Deng, Liu, Gallagher and Wu2020). Much of the focus has been on exploring experiences of international students (Dunwoodie & Ainsworth, Reference Dunwoodie and Ainsworth1999) and international marketing (Patterson, Reference Patterson2000).
In the future, the topic of internationalisation is likely to continue to be a research topic but there has been a rise in interest in deinternationalisation. Combined with the focus on geopolitics, international business researchers will continue to be innovative in how they research topics. Given recent wars and crises it is likely more articles on these topics will be submitted to the journal for peer review. This will help to extend the existing research on international business with new research avenues.
Leadership
Leadership is a perennially popular topic due to the way it influences organisational performance. Naturally there have been a range of studies published in the journal on how to lead an organisation and to be become a better leader. Different ways to analyse leadership have been evident in published articles such as through a pragmatic approach (Ruwhiu & Cone, Reference Ruwhiu and Cone2013), transformations (Tipu, Ryan & Fantazy, Reference Tipu, Ryan and Fantazy2012) and relationships (Roche et al., Reference Roche, Shang, Bentley, Catley, Blackwood, Teo and Sutton2023). The way leadership is defined and understood has changed over the years and this is reflected in publishing practices. Certain types of leadership have become more popular due to societal factors. This includes authoritarian leadership (Duan et al., Reference Duan, Bao, Huang and Brinsfield2018), creative leadership (Ibbotson & Darsø, Reference Ibbotson and Darsø2008) and authentic leadership (Lux & Lowe, Reference Lux and Lowe2024). Research by Tourish (Reference Tourish2019) discussed how to define ‘ethics’ in ethical leadership. This was followed up by Dodamgoda, Roche, Sibunruang and Williamson (Reference Dodamgoda, Roche, Sibunruang and Williamson2025) who reviewed ethical leadership types and by Lin and Yi (Reference Lin and Yi2025) who did a meta analysis on entrepreneurial leadership. In the future, new types of leadership are likely to gain ascendancy that draw on theories and practices in other fields. This means leadership styles are likely to change based on lived experiences and aspirations of managers.
Conclusions
This perspective article aims to provide a summary of key themes and contributions published in the JMO over the past thirty years. The hope is that this will inspire new research and practice based on existing literature. The key research themes were identified but this is not exclusive but provides the best way of summarising key themes. Management research will always be based on practice and relevant to business. Ongoing changes in the economic environment will likely influence how and why management research is conducted. Management research is amongst the most popular and useful in the general social science field and influences many other areas of study. Key theories developed in the management field are often branched out to other areas.
Research on management and organisations must stay relevant and integrate emerging areas of study. This includes recent developments regarding changing societal conditions made possible from working from home and the use of artificial intelligence. All management stakeholders including employees, customers, government providers, the community and others need to be considered in management research. Escalating concerns regarding workplace practices should be considered in order to understand socio-cultural influences. Management led research should explore societal implications and support sustainable business practices. At JMO the aim is to support, test and adapt existing and new theory that is business relevant. Management research should be positioned as competitively relevant and innovative. I hope this perspective article commemorating JMO’s 30th birthday provides exciting thoughts about the future. This will deepen our knowledge about management and organisational research that is practically relevant.
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